The alternate Mockingjay
by tribute324
Summary: What would happen if Katniss and Peeta switched places in Mockingjay. This is what would happen if Katniss was in the Capitol and Peeta was in 13. Is there anything Peeta wouldnt do to save Katniss? I do not own the Hunger Games
1. Prolouge

Prologue

Darkness.

I am running blind. I hear the sounds of fighting and chaos around me but my ears focus on one sound only, the sound of Katniss screaming. I run as fast as I can. I have to get to her before it's too late. Out of the blue I see a single golden arrow flying towards a tree. "No," I think before I am thrown backwards by a massive explosion. I swear I might have broken a few ribs. I see a hovercraft appear above me. Wait a minute, I can't be the victor, I didn't hear the cannons go off. I have to find Katniss, but I can't move. I feel the hovercrafts claw close around my body. My last thought before I black out is one word, "Katniss".


	2. Chapter 2: Arrival

Hey people! I can't believe the response to the first chapter! Anyway here is the story!

I woke up to blinding lights and a sterile white room. I looked around the room and finally noticed that one of the chairs in the corner is occupied. "Haymitch," I said. My voice came out as a horse whisper. As said drunk walked over, he said "Hey kid," Then I noticed he didn't look good at all. "Haymitch, are you okay?" I asked. He just laughed, "Ahh, well these people don't believe in alcohol as a beverage." That confused me. "So I am guessing we are not in District 12 anymore, so where exactly are we?" I asked. "Ah, well kid, you see about an hour after we pulled you out of the arena the capitol came in and destroyed 12. But, as it turns out 13 struck a deal with the capitol, and they have been hidden underground since the dark days." I didn't even ask any questions on why on earth they did what they did. "So where is Katniss?" I asked. I had been so worried about her, I wanted to see her. "Well, you see Peeta," I knew there was something wrong when he called me by my name and not Kid. "Katniss… is in the capitol. We didn't get to her in time and she was captured." My first reaction was shock, then sadness. My Katniss was in the capitol probably being tortured for information she doesn't know. Then my reaction is pure fury " HOW COULD YOU RESCUE ME AND NOT HER!" I scream at Haymitch "YOU PROMISED ME WE WOULD TRY TO KEEP HER ALIVE THIS TIME!" Haymitch just sits down in a chair and puts his head in his hands. He didn't however, try to stop me. "I know, I wanted to rescue both of you instead of some of the others we rescued, but I was not given the authority to make that decision." He said when I finally calmed down. That made me look at him strangely. "Wait a minute, who made the decision? I want to talk to whoever it is!" I told him. "Oh No! Trust me you do not want to meet president Coin. She is not a nice person. And if you do ever have to meet her do not, under any circumstances, make her mad." He told me. After that we talked about what it was like in 13 for about another hour before the doctors tell him he has to leave. He says good- bye and walks out the door. The doctors assess the damage done by the games. I have 2 broken ribs and a cut on my arm that's infected. Overall, I am pretty banged up but nothing life threating. They check on me every few hours but, I really don't care what they do. The only thing on my mind is Katniss. What was the capitol doing to her? They were torturing her no doubt. I didn't even want to imagine all the ways they had to make her break. And they wouldn't stop until they broke her. Every night I have nightmares about Katniss in the capitol. Katniss was one of the strongest people I know but nobody was without weakness. The capitol would break her sooner or later unless we got her out of there. I only cared about one thing. I needed my Katniss back.


	3. Meeting the President

Hey people! Sorry I haven't posted. This isn't one of the best chapters but it is vital to the story! So here you go.

It has been 3 weeks since I arrived in 13. I am to be released from the hospital by the end of this week. I have been allowed to go about my daily life in 13 but I have to report back to the hospital at night. I really don't pay attention to what I do. I sit through classes but I am always distant. I found out my entire family is dead. Only a few merchants made it out of 12. I sometimes just blow off my schedule and sit somewhere and think. I try to think of other things but all things somehow lead back to Katniss.

One day about 2 weeks after I was released from the hospital Haymitch came to my compartment. "Hey kid," he said, "Brace yourself. The president wants to meet you." Now that shocked me. I figured the president would want to meet me sooner or later but I didn't figure this soon. I follow Haymitch through the winding tunnels of the underground metropolis of 13. We finally arrived in Command. I walked into the room and saw the person I already loathed. President Coin herself. She was the reason Katniss was in the capitol. Next to her I saw another person I didn't rather like. Gale Hawthorn. He had always been sort of a jerk. I also saw 3 more people I didn't recognize. I sat down at the foot of the table. It was a few minutes before President Coin addressed me. "Soldier Mellark, we have chosen to rescue you instead of Miss Everdeen. We know you may not agree with this, but we believe it was the proper thing." Now I am mad. If they think they made the right choice they are dead wrong. "No! It wasn't the right choice. It is your fault Katniss is in the capitol. You should have rescued her instead of me and you know it!" I finally exploded. I was tired of them thinking that Katniss being in the capitol was just an unlucky consequence. "Now Soldier Mellark we understand how you feel but that was not why you are here. We would like you to become the symbol of this rebellion. Much like a spokesperson. You would be the face people see when they think of the rebellion. You would show the capitol this rebellion will win!" She said this like it was the best thing ever. I was disgusted. "No way! I don't want to be part of this rebellion any more than necessary." I said right before I stormed out before they could say anything else. Just as I was walking out I heard President Coin say, " Well that's to bad because we can't rescue Katniss until you agree!

Hey thanks for reading! Please review! I love it when you guys add my story as your favorite but could you please take the time to write a review it would mean a lot!


	4. Chapter 4: A big surprise

Hey people! Sorry it took me a few days to update I was busy! Okay this chapter is a little sad but nessesary. Could be pretty OCC but it had to be! Okay since no body actually ever reads these things here is the story!

That sentence made me stop dead in my tracks. Were they serious? They wouldn't rescue Katniss until he agreed to be the symbol of the rebellion. If they were bluffing and I agreed then they just got what they wanted. If they weren't bluffing then the more time I spent contemplating this decision the more time Katniss spent in the capitol. "Ugh!" I said a loud. I didn't want to give in to Coin but if I waited to long then the Capitol would torture Katniss to death. Literally. No I couldn't bear to think of that. I wouldn't be able to live if Katniss was dead. I have nobody, at least if I died she would have here family and…ugh…Gale. I hated that boy he had always been a jerk to anyone who was a merchant. No, there is no time for Gale right now. I can't make a decision now, I am not thinking clearly. I go back to my compartment and actually manage to get a few hours of sleep before I am woken up by a pounding on the door. I walk up to the door to see who it is, ready to tell them to go away. It's Haymitch and he says something that caught me off guard, "Come on Peeta, I have a surprise for you." I follow him down the to the hospital. He leads me to a room and opens the door. What I see makes my breath catch in my throat. There lying on the bed is my brother Ayden.

Hey guys I know this is short but the next one will be longer I promise

IMPORTANT! You guys know how Katniss was called the mockingjay? Well I need a name for Peeta. Please give me ideas in either a PM or a review.

Okay I need at least 5 reviews for the next chapter and I will tell you it's one of my favorites so Please Review!


	5. Chapter 5: Ayden

Hey people! I am soooooooo sorry I haven't posted! This is one of my favorite and least favorite chapters because it makes me sad! Anyway heres the chapter!

When he hears the door he turns his head, "Peeta! Thank goodness you're alright I thought you were dead!" I was so happy he was alive and safe. He was most likely the only family I had left. I slowly walked over to his bed side still in shock. " Ayden, I thought YOU were dead! They said none of you guys made it out." I could feel the tears of joy welling in my eyes, threatening to fall. " Well Mom, Dad, Josh, and Jake are all dead. I barely made it out, I was just lucky enough to be watching it in the square when the bombs dropped while the rest of the family was at home. I was swept with the crowd and made it to the woods. I missed the hovercraft to 13 and managed to survive long enough to make it here. Well now you know my tail but I have a quick question. Where's Katniss? You two are usually glued at the hip now a days." That simple question was enough to make me break down in tears. Ayden had grown up with me, he knew I never cried in front of anyone, not even my family. "Oh no! Peeta what happened? Last I saw you got separated in the arena! Did someone kill her?" I could see the immense worry in his eyes. I would never admit this, but he was my favorite brother. We were the closest in age and had always had a special bond that my other brothers didn't have. "No," I said when I could finally speak, "but, it probably would have been better if someone would have. She was captured by the capitol and, as we speak, is being tortured for information she doesn't even know." I said. "Peeta, I am so sorry I know how much you loved her and wanted to protect her." I searched his eyes for signs of false sympathy but could find none. "Worst part is that if I don't agree to work for Coin as the symbol of the rebellion, they won't rescue Katniss. I don't want to be the symbol of the rebellion, and they might be bluffing. If they are they get there way, if they aren't I need to say yes fast and get Katniss out of there as soon as possible. I don't have another choice, I have to save her." I finally break down. All the emotion I had kept bottled up since the reaping of my first games broke through. We just sit for a while as Ayden tries to calm me down. Nobody has ever seen me cry, not even my parents. I didn't cry when my mother hit me, I didn't cry when I was chosen for the games, but now I did cry. I let all my worries of Katniss and the rebellion flow. Ayden tried his best to comfort me, saying words of encouragement. It did help a little bit. Neither of us notice Haymitch, still in the room, sneak out the door, sensing it was not his place to be. I didn't realize it then, but I would greatly thank him for that later. When I finally calmed down Ayden delicately avoided the subject for my sake. I noticed it was getting late and said goodbye before heading back to my compartment. As soon as my head hit the pillow I instantly fell into my worst nightmare yet.

Okay so that's the end of this chapter! Next chapter will be Peeta's nightmare. Okay I still want suggestions on Peeta's name and any other reviews are wanted. We got 5 reviews this time lets strive for … 8 this time! Remember reviews= chapter and don't wait on someone else to review!


	6. Chapter 6: The nightmare

Hey people! Thank you for the reviews but I only got 6! When I say reviews I mean actual written reviews. Anyway the authors note at the bottom has valuable information in it so please read it! On with the story

I was running through a long corridor that seemed to go on forever. I heard Katniss screaming my name, "PEETA! HELP ME! PEETA!" She was screaming in agony. I had to help her before it's too late. I burst into a large circular room where Katniss is tied to a chair. A peace keeper came in, untied her, and pushed her to the floor. She looked so different than the strong, courageous Katniss I knew. She was so pale, and thinner than she had been the day I burnt the bread for her. She looked as though she hadn't slept in days. The peace keeper brought out his whip and began to hit her mercilessly. The sound of the whip hitting her over and over was blood curdling. I wanted to run to her, but my legs wouldn't move. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't close my eyes. He yelled, no screamed is a better word, at her. Things like, "Where's all your courage now?" and, "You deserve this and you know it. If you had behaved and died in the arena like you were support to this wouldn't be happening." I couldn't bear to see her like this. After what seemed like hours but was probably only a few minutes he stopped. I figured Katniss would be relieved at this but her eyes filled with terror, even greater than before. The peace keeper smiled evilly and all of a sudden I became almost scared of what he was planning to do to her. He picked her up by her hair and shoved her against the wall. I heard a sickening crack and then saw blood pooling from her head. She seemed fazed but not to terribly hurt. Another peace keeper came in and began to speak, "Now Katniss, we know you know the whereabouts of the rebel headquarters. Just tell us and this will all end and you can go home, oh wait you don't have a home." He laughed at this. Katniss had tears in her eyes, probably from the pain in her head. "I've told you I don't know anything!" She almost pleaded. "LIAR!" the peace keepers screamed in unison, all signs of humor gone. The advanced on her and smacked her across the face. He held her up by her long, brown hair and shoved her back into her chair. They retied her and brought out what looked like, well I don't really know. I remembered a picture form one of the North American history class at school, I thought they called it a tazor. They then shined a projector on the wall in front of Katniss. It showed…me. It looked like they had played with the footage from both of our games. They had clipped it together though, so that you couldn't tell it was from the games. I saw myself running from the mutts but it looked like we were running through district 12 or what was left out of it. What I saw next was incredibly terrifying. The wolf mutts gained and well, I got the same treatment Cato got in our first games. Only this time Katniss didn't make it any easier. The peacekeeper began to laugh "See your precious little boyfriend isn't ever coming to save you, we made sure of that." Oh no! Katniss thought I was dead. She began to scream "NOOOOOOOOOO! You couldn't have you didn't NOOOOOOOOO!" And then I was flying back into the corridor. I sat straight up in bed covered in sweat and breathing heavy. Then I remembered something. Our trackers from the arena had a little thing in them that could send impulses to our brain. What I had just dreamed was real and that was a problem for two reasons. One: the obvious one is that the torture of Katniss was horrifying. Two: I still had my tracker which meant the capitol knew where I was, which in turn caused another two really bad things. One: the capitol knew where the rebel base was and two: they were torturing Katniss just because they could.

Okay **IMPORTANT!** I need at least 10 reviews or no new updates. This means written reviews! Now the next chapter is really good so review fast and don't expect someone else to do it for you!


	7. Authors note! IMPORTANT!

Hey guys! Sorry if I got your hopes up for another chapter but you guys only have 6 reviews so I can't post another one. I would really appreciate the reviews and it only takes a few seconds. I have a lot planned for this story and I promise it gets better! Please review more so you can get the next chapter. And again I am sorry if I got your hopes up for another chapter!

~Tribute324


	8. Chapter 7: The Decision

AHHH! (Runs behind a tree as tomatoes and boos fly) I know, I know, I am so sorry! Okay before this gets out of hand I have an excuse. I know I shouldn't make excuses but I have too. Okay first I got hit with the biggest case of writer's block I have ever had. Then there were massive tests at my school which meant massive amounts of work. Important authors note at bottom.

I sprinted from my bed and grabbed the knife I always kept in the room ( old habits die hard I guess). Slowly, carefully, and painfully, I ran the knife along the length of the tracker. I managed to get the tracker out without too much trouble.

I cleaned up my arm and rapped it in bandages. I grabbed the tracker and set it on the counter. Using the knife, I brought the blade down hard on the tracker. There was an explosion of sparks as the tracker died. I leaned against the counter, the adrenaline that had been coursing through my veins evaporating. I closed my eyes and just sat there, taking deep breaths. I looked at the clock and realized it was close to 9 am. Everyone should be in command by now.

I picked up the remains of my tracker and almost sprinted into command. I burst into the room and found everyone staring at me, so I decided to have some fun with this.

"Well good morning everyone, I made an interesting discovery this morning."

At this point I brought out the remains of the tracker.

"This little but was still in my arm, and broadcasting, this morning." I said with a smile that looked frighteningly like Ceaser Flickerman. I watched as everyone's eyes grew wide and the color drained from every face in the room, even Coin's.

"Well," she said after a moment, "Thank you for handling the situation Soldier Mellark and now if that is all,"

I cut her off right there

"No, I want to talk to you about something else." I stopped and took a few deep breaths before continuing.

" Coin, I will be your symbol but I have some conditions first."

I stopped and looked around. Everyone was staring at me with rapt attention so I took that as my que to continue.

"First, I want a rescue team headed for the capitol by sundown."

" I am sorry soldier but that isn't possible." Okay now I need to try a different approach.

"Coin, if there isn't a hovercraft, with a rescue team, flying out of here by then I swear I will NEVER be your symbol. Ever. Pick one or the other Coin," Now I addressed everyone.

" And remember, the longer we wait the greater the chance they are dead before we get to them."

This comment has exactly the effect I wanted.

"Coin, my team and I can be ready by his deadline," Gale Hawthorn finally said.

"Alright Soldier, you have your requests. Welcome to the rebellion"


	9. Chapter 9: The preporation

Okay guys I am sorry for the extremely long wait. I hate doing that. I have my excuses but why should I waste your time making you read them. So here you go.

I walked back to my compartment after me eventful, to say the least, command experience. It was official. I was the symbol of the rebellion. Coin was going to gather all the rebels to make a public announcement this afternoon. Meanwhile, I gave Prim one of the art lessons we had started doing together. Prim was gaining on 14 years old, which is the age you are given the title soldier, and begin training to be a rebel fighter. The art lessons I had been giving Prim had helped us both cope with Katniss being in the Capitol, Prims memories of District 12 burning, the ash, the explosions, people screaming, running, the sounds of people dying, and the sulfur smell of the coal dust, that coated the entire district, exploding. My memories of the games, the pain, the fear, the horrors I was forced to witness, the murders I was forced to commit, my innocent, though small, being torn away from me, constantly having to think that I am going to die, and that there is no way out of it. The others victors can understand some things, but they will never fully understand, as every games is different. Every victor had their own experiences. The only person who can truly understand me is Katniss, and I don't even have her anymore. What worries me more is Prim. One day she will be painting scenes of meadows and sunshine, the next fire and suffering. It pains me to think that Prim, so sweet and young, has been forced to grow up, in this world so close to pure evil, way too quickly.

Coin said I couldn't go on the rescue mission, and no matter how much I demanded, she wouldn't budge. Finally, one hour before the hovercraft was set to take off, I walked into command…again. "Coin, please, you have to let me go on the rescue mission. It would be nice for the victors, especially Katniss, to have a familiar face there, not just a team of unknown men." Coin seemed to think about this for a moment. Maybe, uses the victors' safety as leverage would get me on the team. "Alright Soldier Mellark, if you can be ready by the time the hovercraft leaves you may go with the rescue team." "Thank you President Coin." I said as I ran out of the room. This was it. I was going to see Katniss again.


End file.
